Shimla, Oct 6 (IANS): Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday slammed the Congress government in the state for imposing fees on the use of playgrounds and sports equipment, saying the "move regrettable".
He said after the toilet tax, now the state government has come up with the 'Khel-Khiladi Tax Yojana' under which it is imposing a tax on sports infrastructure.
"The government is imposing some kind of tax on the people of the state every day. The Chief Minister has forgotten the definition of 'welfare state'. After harassing every section one by one, now the Chief Minister wants to impose a tax on sports and sportspersons," LoP Thakur said in a statement.
"On one hand, the PM Narendra Modi government at the Centre is spending thousands of crores of additional budget every year to promote sports under 'Khelo India', on the other, the Congress-led Sukhu government is trying to make sports and sportspersons a source of income for the state by imposing tax on them in Himachal."
"Even before this, the Sukhu government has stopped holding under-12 tournaments. The government wants to discourage sports at every level. This approach of the government towards sports is shameful."
LoP Thakur said that senior leaders of the Congress have been opposing the tax imposed on sports.
He added that when the trials are to be held, the government "is demanding a rent of Rs 10,000 for the ground. Besides, a prestigious sports tournament is being organised in another state due to lack of support from the government and demanding a fee for sports equipment and grounds".
He said that Chief Minister Sukhu should not ignore the voice of the people in this way.
"Sports and players should be encouraged and no tax should be imposed on sports and players."
The BJP leader added it is the government's job to encourage sports.
It (state government) should work for the all-round development of the players and not make sports profitable by imposing taxes on them and discouraging players, LoP Thakur said.
"A player does not play for himself, he plays for his state and his country. Therefore, it is the state's job to provide them with a suitable environment to play and not to impose taxes on them and charge them rent for everything from grounds to sports equipment."
On the decision on Sanjauli mosque in Shimla, LoP Thakur said it should be implemented as soon as possible.
He added that the decision of the court regarding the demolition of illegal floors in the mosque should be implemented as soon as possible.